1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic contamination inspecting device for checking radioactive contamination of articles which are carried away from a nuclear power installation such as a power plant.
2. State of the Art
When articles used in a radiation control area of a nuclear power plant are carried away therefrom, it is necessary to inspect whether radioactive contamination of the respective surfaces of the articles is within permissible limits.
This contamination inspection has conventionally been done manually using a scintillator manipulated by hand to survey all the surfaces of an article one by one. This process was found to be of course troublesome and inefficient.
For the purpose of reducing labor, a contamination inspecting device termed "a monitor for checking small articles to be carried away" was manufactured and has been used for inspecting the contamination of the articles. In this device, the articles to be inspected are transferred by hand to an inspection position and measurement as to the strength of the radioactivity of the articles is conducted with a gas flow counter and a plastic scintillator. Only documents or small instruments can be inspected by this conventional device, and large instruments or measuring instruments cannot be inspected.
Large or long articles such as scaffolding equipment and materials including scaffolding boards and pipes are carried to the inspection position manually and tested for radioactive contamination with a monitor. This monitor, however, cannot be applied to small articles.